OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Hi y'all! My name is Kayla Ashland and I am a part of the Class of 2024 here at the Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine! I am a Corvallis native and I completed my undergrad at Colorado State University (B.S. in Biology with a concentration in anatomy and physiology). After 4 years in Fort Collins, I came back to the Willamette Valley where I worked at the city pool and the Albany ER clinic while applying to vet schools. I am currently the class of 2024 Nestle Purina representative, one of the Class of 2024 pet day co-chairs, and the VBMA secretary. I am interested in small animal medicine with the hope of one day returning to academia to teach, but there are so many paths in veterinary medicine that I am keeping an open mind! I love photography, crafting, reading, and exploring coffee shops. I have two fluffy kitties named Willow and Winston who both made the long drive from Fort Collins to Corvallis. Feel free to reach out with any questions!
Hello! My name is Kayla and I am a soon to be 3rd year vet student, Class of 2023 diversity chair, and student Nutramax representative. I am a first generation college student from Arizona, originally from Colorado Springs, Co. (Go Broncos!) Currently, I am interested in Wildlife Research and Rehabilitation, as well as Veterinary pharmacology and community outreach. Before vet school I did work at a mixed animal practice in Flagstaff, AZ! Some fun stuff about me: I have two cats and a dog, I once spent a summer as a snake biologist intern surveying wild snakes in rural areas, I have 6 siblings and I am obsessed with house plants. I have been in love with Oregon since my first visit here and I enjoy hiking, snowboarding, visiting local breweries and wineries, and just general exploring! Feel free to ask me any questions and welcome!!!
Katrina is a member of the Class of 2024. She is happy to have been born and raised in the Eugene/Springfield area just an hour south of Corvallis. Before becoming part of the CCVM family, her educational journey had some unique features including homeschooling through high school, community college, and becoming the first in her family to pursue a graduate degree. Katrina is passionate about helping you on your veterinary journey.
Katrina’s interests in veterinary medicine include livestock and companion animals, integrative medicine, nutrition, and international medicine. In addition to becoming a mixed practitioner, owning her own practice is also one of her goals. After years of volunteering at a clinic that provides veterinary services to the pets of homeless persons and participating in 7 humanitarian trips to Mexico, she plans to work with the pets of homeless persons in her community or the livestock people depend on in impoverished countries around the world.
When Katrina is not studying or working with animals, you will probably find her curled up reading a book or watching a classic movie with a good cup of coffee in her reach while one of her three cats sleeps on her lap.
I was born in Durango, Mexico and have lived in Texas most of my life. My parents instilled in me the value of hard work and how important it is to continue my education. I am a first generation college student as I am the first from my family to graduate from high school and college. Before applying to veterinary school, I was a high school science teacher in a border community. I truly enjoy helping guide others in any way that I can. I take pride in being able to motivate minority students to pursue higher education and see veterinary medicine as a potential future career. I am currently a fourth year student about to start my clinical rotations at school. I want to work in small animal general practice out of school and ultimately work my way into organized veterinary medicine, such as the AVMA. My hobbies are taking hikes with my dachshund and flying single engine planes. I have my private pilot license but since starting vet school I haven’t had the time or financial means to fly. I can’t wait to pick it back up once I get done with school.
Hello everyone, my name is Lea! I just started my 4th year clinical rotations and am enjoying applying my knowledge and getting hands on! I am originally from a small town an hour north of Corvallis called Amity, although I have been in Corvallis for 8 years now as I did my undergraduate at Oregon State University also. I am interested in Small Animal Emergency Medicine, and have worked for the last 6 years in an emergency hospital. In my free time I love hiking/exploring the outdoors, riding my horse Shotzy, gardening, baking, and reading. If you have any questions about veterinary school, or Corvallis/Oregon in general, please send me a message.
Hello everyone! My name is Shelby and I’m a part of the Class of 2024. I moved to Oregon a few years ago after completing my undergraduate degree (B.S. in Geology with an emphasis in Paleontology) at SDSU in California. So if you are worried about not having a “pre-vet med” degree, I am here to tell you that is ok! The small class sizes at the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine made it easy for me to reach out to professors and form a connection, even though almost everything was over Zoom this past year. I have worked in veterinary clinics for the last 5 years and loved every second of it. After graduating I will be pursuing a career in Veterinary Pathology, mostly focusing on forensics, which means…more school! Outside of classes I enjoy the nerd life playing Dungeons & Dragons, and finding things to do that will make me a better PC (I like to hike, rock climb and need to brush up on archery). Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have!
My name is Ened McNett. I am a 36-year-old, formerly homeless, queer, future livestock veterinarian.
I was an 8th grade drop-out. At 23-years-old, I earned my GED and Associate of Arts at a community college while working as a waitress. Then I began working on ranches, where I discovered a passion for ruminants, naturally turning towards veterinary medicine. I completed a BS in biology at Northern New Mexico College, working as a ranch hand and research assistant. I am now a rising third year at OSU CCVM. I live just outside of Corvallis with my painfully attractive spouse, 8 Clun Forest sheep, 3 Alpine goats, 2 brown dogs, 1 black cat and a lovely pumpkin patch.
When first considering veterinary medicine, I called a mentor with a concern that “people like me” do not become veterinarians. Her response was, “ Ened, every veterinarian you have ever met has done a series of things to become a veterinarian. If you begin today to do those things, one at a time, then one day you will wake up and find you are a veterinarian”. Consider this if you are wondering if there is a place for you in veterinary medicine.
I’m Piper and I am going into my 3rd year this Fall 2021 (c/o 2023). I moved out to Oregon from Florida after falling in love with everything Oregon and OSU have to offer. I have a master’s degree from UF in Veterinary Forensics and am known for having lots of hobbies and experiences relating to vet med. Such as, being a Beekeeper, having managed a homestead, interning at a marine mammal path lab, working with seabirds and wildlife rehab, growing up around horses, and loving to work with large animals. I’m always happy to chat about vet school, life, and how to make the most of your time here at OSU CCVM. Welcome, and I look forward to meeting you!
Hello! My name is Sarah from the Class of 2024. I decided to join the student ambassador team as I am one of few international students. I was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, but what many people don’t realize is that there are very few vet schools in Canada. This brought me on my journey of applying outside the country, obtaining a student visa, and managing international loans and banking. This is not an easy path to navigate on your own and one of my goals is to help others on this journey. As far as my experience and interest goes, I have a passion for small animal and especially feline medicine. On the completely opposite side of the spectrum, I worked in marine mammal rehabilitation for several years before vet school and would love to someday return to working with wildlife. I chose to come to Oregon as I am a true west coaster at heart and love all things outdoors.
Hi everyone! My name is Becca, I’m in the Class of 2024 and I moved to Oregon from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I attended UNM for undergrad. My current interests are emergency medicine and upon graduation I am going to pursue critical care with the goal of one day opening my own ER hospital. I’ve worked in veterinary emergency for the past 5 years, and I am one of the co-presidents of the SVECCS club here at OSU. My favorite part about Oregon is the unlimited amount of fun outdoor activities at our fingertips. My favorite part about OSU is the small class sizes. Even though I didn’t get to meet a lot of my classmates in person this year because of COVID, I still felt like I got to know a lot of them because of how comfortable everyone felt around each other. Online school is definitely more enjoyable when you have a good group of classmates eager to participate and dedicated professors excited to teach, which we are fortunate to have. Outside of class and work, you can find me riding bikes (probably too often), going on adventures with my Doberman, and trying new beer! If you have any questions about bikes, breweries, or emergency medicine I’m your person and I’d love to chat!
Greetings y’all! My name is Jessica (also Jessie/Jess), and I am a veterinary student in the Class of 2023. I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where I attended Mt. Hood Community College and transferred to Portland State University to receive my Bachelor of Science in biology. I am a first-generation college student from a low-income family who has aspired to become a veterinarian since the age of 8. I started out as an elementary kid rescuing strays off the streets to volunteering on the surgery team at my local animal shelter. As always emphasized by my mom, nothing is unobtainable where bigger dreams exist. So, despite the numerous of obstacles, I am so pleased to be attending Oregon State University and to be representing the school as a veterinary ambassador. I hope to become a small animal veterinarian with a focus in feline medicine and return to my hometown to serve veterinary care to the low-income Portland families like mine. I also have a passion for mentorship and teaching, so if anyone finds themselves reading this with an interest in vet med, you already have a supporter to your journey and reach out anytime!
Hello! My name is Dana from the Class of 2023. I go by the pronouns, she/her/hers. I’m a first-generation Japanese American, who is originally from the East Coast and graduated with a BS in Animal Science from Rutgers University in New Jersey. While things are slightly different from my home state, I definitely enjoy the community and beautiful nature here in Oregon! My veterinary interests include integrative practices and international medicine. Studying abroad in Japan and Belize made me realize the importance of diversity in this field and how we should be considerate of one another’s thoughts, background, and culture. I’m currently taking an acupuncture course at Chi Institute in hopes to provide different modalities of veterinary care to a variety of species in the future! Outside of veterinary medicine, I enjoy exploring and listening to music and supporting small businesses that create enamel pins. Finding your passion in veterinary medicine and deciding how you want to go forward in your path are all exciting but difficult choices. Please feel free to reach out to any of us!
Hi all! My name is Devin (pronouns she/her/hers) and I am in the Class of 2023. I am from Bend, Oregon and completed my undergraduate degree in Biology at OSU Cascades. I have always loved science, but didn’t know that I wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine until my senior year of undergrad. Prior to that, I was working towards a career in the human medical field, and for over three years, I volunteered at a medical clinic for the uninsured. This experience influenced the direction of my career as a veterinarian, inspiring me to work in a rural area of Oregon practicing small or mixed animal medicine. It also reinforced my views on the importance of collaboration and giving back to the community, motivating me to be involved in educational outreach and to one day create a free clinic for pets of the homeless and underserved. Outside of veterinary medicine, I enjoy photography, painting, cross country skiing, climbing, and exploring the outdoors with my dog Otter. If you have any questions at all or just want to know some great hiking trails in Corvallis, don’t hesitate to reach out :)
Hello everyone! My name is Mina in the Class of 2024. I am originally from a small town in western Massachusetts and did my undergrad at the University of British Columbia. Before applying to veterinary school, I was a health tech, surgery tech, and researcher in vaccines and gene therapies at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. My hobbies include birding, travel, and cooking traditional Persian Food. My current interests are lab animal medicine and pathology. I am the current co-president of the Pathology club and Ethics club, as well as the treasurer/secretary of the Lab Animal Medicine club. If you have any questions about a non-traditional career path, want to talk monkeys, debatable veterinary medicine topics, or just want to make a connection, I’m always open!
Hey everyone! My name is Kyndall, and I will be a 3rd year vet student in the fall. I am originally from Phoenix, AZ and did my undergrad at Arizona State University. My veterinary interest are exotics and wildlife medicine (particularly elephants). I hope to one day own my very own elephant sanctuary rescuing abused and mistreated elephants. I also enjoy working with birds of prey and exotic pets such as lizards, tortoises, rabbits, birds, etc. Outside of school I love to go on day adventures such as hiking, exploring waterfalls, hot springs and going to wineries/breweries. If you have any questions about veterinary school in general or pursing exotic/wildlife medicine, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
